


life's not a song (life isn't bliss)

by IrreverentFangirl



Series: give me something to sing about [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Earth-2, E2!Laurel goes by Dinah, F/F, League of Assassins - Freeform, Meta!Laurel, Morally Ambiguous Characters, Multi, Sexual Content, Sexual Relationships, angry Laurel, past major character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-07
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-05-31 06:40:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6459847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrreverentFangirl/pseuds/IrreverentFangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>"life is just this. it's living"</i> </p><p>Dinah Laurel Lance's life has been hell. Her first boyfriend cheated on her with her her sister, then they both died. Her next boyfriend became her fiancé, then was killed by his father's schemes. Her mom left, her dad became an alcoholic, her work was destroyed. </p><p>So she left. She left Starling City, she left America all together. She met Nyssa Raatko and ended up joining the League of Assassins and becoming something new. Safarat 'iindhar . The Siren.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> this story was inspired by the incredibly attractive pictures of katie cassidy on the flash and a conversation with bisexualleonardsnart on tumblr. thanks to him and piggiesaregreen (also on tumblr), who read it and gave me support. not to forget minachandler (thecolourpurpleinafield) who also supported it and inspired me! 
> 
> also, i needed to write the dinah laurel lance story i would've wanted. especially after the newest episode....
> 
> dinah's even angrier and more confrontational then laurel was in canon. she can defend herself both verbally and physically. and she has lots of sex - mostly with women. she's somewhat ooc to arrow's version, but she's darker and a little evil. consider a fusion of comic book!dinah, arrow!laurel, and sara after she left the league. 
> 
> anyways, hope you all enjoy!

**** Dinah was kneeling in front of Tommy’s grave, her head down and her fingers brushing against his headstone. “I miss you so much, baby. But I can't stay here in Starling. Not after what,” she paused and gritted her teeth,  _ “Malcolm  _ did. I’m leaving.” 

A tear dripped down her cheek. “I don't know where I'm gonna go.” A harsh laugh escaped her and she reached up and brusquely wiped her tears away. “I don't know what I'm gonna do. But I love you, and I wanted to say good-bye before I left.” 

“How touching,” a saccharine voice cooed. 

Dinah gritted her teeth. “Go fuck yourself, Helena,” she growled, not turning around. 

“I’d rather fuck  _ you.”  _

Dinah scowled and, ignoring her aching legs, she stood up and turned to face the smirking brunette. “You know, I thought I'd get at least a little bit of sympathy from you, knowing what I’m dealing with and what I’d lost, but looks like you’re too much of a bitch to bother. Nice touch propositioning me at my fiancé's grave, though. Very classy,” she said, sneering. “Now fuck  _ off,  _ Helena. I'm leaving anyway.” 

She sent the slim brunette a glare, then stormed off, casting one last lingering glance at Tommy’s grave.  

“You didn't love him, Dinah!” Helena yelled after her. Dinah scoffed, resolving to ignore her. 

.

.

.

Two days later, Dinah was in her room packing, when Quentin walked in. “What's going on in here?” he asked. 

“I'm leaving,” she said, not looking up as she zipped her suitcase. “Leaving the country for a few months.” 

“Wait, no - ” 

“I'm  _ leaving,  _ daddy. Don't try and fight me on this!”

“D, it's just - ”

_ “No!”  _ Dinah yelled, slamming her hand against her suitcase as she turned to Quentin, face flushed and nostrils flared. “Don't try and convince me to change my mind. It won't work.”

“Fine, D. I won't try and convince you!” he exclaimed, raising his hands. “Anyway, I’m not gonna say I haven't considered it after what Merlyn did.” He ignored the way Dinah’s jaw clenched.

“Where are you going?” 

Dinah sighed, allowing her tense form to relax. “I don't know. Somewhere in Europe? I just want to get out of Starling, get as far away as possible.” 

Quentin frowned. “Baby, maybe you should talk to your mom.” 

Dinah scoffed, rolling her eyes and returning her focus to her suitcase. “Yeah, that's not happening.” She grabbed the handle of her bag, lifted and carrying it to her door. “She had a chance to have a relationship with me, daddy. She fucked it up.” 

Quentin’s eyes bulged. “But D - ” 

_ “But D,”  _ Dinah mocked. “No! Stop it, okay? I'm in hell right now, okay?! I don't want to try and bond with that woman again - she's not my family anymore. Fuck,  _ you're  _ barely my family anymore. I always knew you and mama preferred Sara to me, but rest assured, you guys definitely put any doubts about it that I had to rest since she died.  _ She  _ was the one you cared about, not me.

“You know what, just leave.” In contrast to her previous fiery words, these were glacier cold. “You've given me your dose of paternal disapproval for today. I can deal without another one.” 

Quentin was hurt. He knew that he and his now ex-wife had messed up with how they approached their relationship with their eldest daughter, but he'd never realized how much. 

Dinah hated him and her mother. 

He sighed, knowing that he needed to find a way to redeem himself in her eyes. And he would. 

But not now. 

“Okay, baby. Know that I love you though - please keep in touch with me.” 

And with those words he walked out of the room. 

He wasn't there to see Dinah collapse to the ground, tears streaming down her face. 

.

.

.

Dinah spent the next two months traveling. It was weird, leaving the city she had been born and raised in, but she was happier. She got to visit Gotham City for a week and spend time with Babs; she explored Rome and Paris and London; she spent more money than she had in her life. 

After Europe, she decided to give Asia a try. She went straight to Tibet. Her sophomore-year girlfriend used to talk about visiting Lhasa with her someday. She couldn't believe she at least had gone through with it. 

It was a beautiful city, and she was happy just strolling through it. At least, she was until a mugger decided she was prime prey. The man was tall and lean, wearing a large pair of sunglasses so she couldn't make out any discerning features on his face, and held a slim knife in his hand. 

He said something that Dinah couldn't translate but was pretty sure was a demand for money. 

She was frozen for a moment, until all the self-defense classes her father had made her take as a minor kicked in. In two fluid movements, she slid her right foot behind her left and swung her bag, slamming it into the potential mugger’s shin before running. 

She sprinted away, hearing the mugger cuss, and didn't stop until she was hidden behind a building, breathing hard. 

“You have the spirit of a warrior,” an accented voice said. “I am impressed.” Dinah turned her head and saw a curvy dark-haired woman standing over her with a wicked smile. “I am Nyssa Raatko, it is a pleasure to meet you.” 

Dinah’s eyebrows furrowed and, as she straightened up, she said, “The pleasure’s all mine. I'm Dinah.” 

Nyssa’s smile grew. “I'm sure it is. So you are an American?” she asked, arching an eyebrow. 

Dinah nodded, crossing her arms. “Yeah,” she said. “How'd you know?” 

“You speak English,” Nyssa said, laughing. 

“I guess that would do it,” Dinah said, her cheeks darkening to a fetching shade of pink. 

Nyssa nodded. “Yes it would. Anyway, it was a pleasure meeting you. How long would you say you will be staying here?” 

Dinah shrugged, brushing a few strands out of her hair. “I don't know. At least a week?” 

“That is good,” Nyssa said. “I hope to see you again.” Dinah blushed darker and smiled at her. 

“I'd like that.” 

Nyssa chuckled. “Good, then I will see you again, Madame Dinah,” she said, before walking off. 

Dinah stood, leaning against the building, struck silent for a moment. Oh, she was a fool for not getting the gorgeous brunette's number though. She'd have loved to see Nyssa again. 

Too bad. 

 


	2. The League

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyssa convinces her father to allow Dinah in the League and Dinah to actually join.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so far this story is a lot of scene jumping and exposition and i apologize for that. now, nyssa uses some arabic in this story. if any of you knows the correct way to show phonetic arabic and if i made any mistakes (i used google translate) please, please tell me.

_ two months later _

_ Dinah  _

“Dinah, what are you doing?” Nyssa asked. 

Dinah, who was sitting on her temporary bed and eating yogurt, looked up with furrowed eyebrows. “What?” she asked. “Like, in general?” 

Nyssa snorted as she shifted around so her legs were crossed on the bed, her hands resting on her ankles. “No, in Lhasa - not at home. Why have you not left yet,  _ habibti?”  _

Dinah winced as she slipped a spoonful of the Tibetan yogurt in her mouth, before setting the spoon in the container and resting it on the table near her bed. “Do you want me to leave? I...I was enjoying it here, with you, but if you feel like I'm - I don't know - smothering you, I can leave.” She ducked her head, feeling rotten. God, she thought she had finally found someone who liked having her around and it turned out she was wrong. 

“No! Dinah, I genuinely  _ enjoy  _ your company. I was simply wondering because you told me that you had been traveling the world in the previous two months and yet you have been in Lhasa for almost two and half months now,” Nyssa said. 

Dinah sighed and straightened, pulling her legs up so she could rest her chin on her knees. “I don't know, Nyss. I'm happy here? I don't want to lose my friendship with you or, or go home. I have  _ nothing _ there anymore and I don't really ever want to return.” 

Nyssa looked at her, her eyes gleaming. “Then do not,” she said. “Do not return home. Dinah, can you fight?” 

Dinah blinked at the abrupt shift in topic. “Um, I know some martial arts and I’m good at defending myself?” 

Nyssa grinned suddenly, a wolfish baring of her teeth. “Hmm,” she said, as though contemplating. “Excellent.” 

And suddenly she changed the subject again, leaving Dinah for a loop. 

* * *

_ Nyssa  _

“Hello father,” Nyssa said, kneeling before the Ra’s. 

“Hello,  _ warith.  _ You wished to speak with me?” Ra’s said, tapping his fingers against the arm of his chair. Nyssa nodded, bowing her head. “Then speak, daughter.” 

“Father, you know that every now and then I will go and travel through Lhasa in an attempt to keep an eye on the locals?” 

“I am aware.” 

“Well, on one of my trips I saw a woman about to be mugged. As I watched, within seconds she brought the man attempting to rob her to the ground and escaped...it was quite impressive,” she said, daring to look up and meet her father’s eyes. “So I decided to speak with the woman - father she is the perfect candidate to become a  _ Ghul!  _ I have spoken with her several times since the first meeting and she is competent, having several years of training behind her, not to mention the spirit of a true warrior in a way that many of your initiates are lacking in, as well as a desire to abandon her past life as the daughter of a law enforcement officer in the City of Starling, in America - ” 

“The one that Al Sa-Her partially destroyed?” Ra’s asked, leaning forward to stare directly at his heir, watching as she nodded. “And she left?” 

“Yes, father. Apparently in his poorly thought out revenge scheme, Al Sa-Her killed his son by accident. His son, Thomas Merlyn, had been the Dinah’s fiance.” 

Ra’s eyebrow arched. “And so she left? Interesting. And her name is Dinah?” 

“Yes, father. Dinah Lance.” 

Ra’s hummed. “I will leave you to inform her of your intentions and of the League, but I expect to meet her soon.” 

Nyssa nodded. “Yes, father.” 

“Very well, you are dismissed, Al Maharib.” 

Nyssa stood and bowed to him. “Farewell father,” she said before spinning on her heel and gracefully leaving the room.

* * *

 

_ Dinah  _

“Dinah, may I speak with you?” 

Dinah looked up from her meal and grinned. “Hi, Nyssa. What’s up?” she asked. She felt better than she had in months, years even. Away from Starling, away from bad memories, away from her father even. Life in Lhasa, with Nyssa, had ended up being exactly what she needed. 

“I need to speak with you. Privately, if we could. Your room would be best,” Nyssa said, her expression somber. Dinah’s eyebrows creeped up her face, but she nodded. 

“Is something wrong?” she asked. 

Nyssa’s jaw tensed and her dark eyes softened. “It would be easiest if I could just explain all at once,  _ habibti.  _ Could we please go to your room?” 

Dinah nodded, standing up and brushing crumbs off her slacks. “Sure, Nyss. Let’s go.” 

Their walk to Dinah’s hotel room was a quiet one. When they finally reached it, Dinah sat on the bed and looked up at Nyssa with an arched eyebrow. “Now spill. What’s wrong, Nyss?” she asked. 

Nyssa smiled a bit. “Have you ever heard of the League of Shadows?” Dinah looked taken aback, her expression shifting to puzzled. Nyssa didn’t bother to wait for an answer after observing her visceral reaction. 

“I will take that as a no. The League of Shadows is an organization that very few people in the world are even aware exists. It is also known as the League of Assassins. It is run by a man known as Ra’s al Ghul, the demon’s head. It is used to keep balance in the world and to make sure nothing gets too out of line. Many years ago a man found it and took in the training of the masters within. They named him Al Sa-Her. The Magician. 

“Al Sa-Her, however, was overcome with a need for vengeance. So, he requested from m - from Ra’s - to be released from his duty. Because you see, to become a member of the league you must vow to never leave. But, for some reason, fath - Ra’s al Ghul allowed him this, something he had never allowed another before. Al Sa-Her went back to where he had been born, back to a family that thought he had been dead. And when he was back in that town, he began to make plans,” Nyssa said, before pausing to take a break. Her normally still fingers were tapping against her leg in seemingly leisurely movements. 

“He planned to destroy the part of his home that he saw as diseased. And he succeeded. His real name, the name you know him as is Malcolm Merl - ” 

“ - Really?!” Dinah exclaimed, jumping up, her eyes wide and shocked. “Malcolm was a member of some psy - you know what, of course he was. God, that doesn’t even shock me! He had to have been taught...whatever. Nyssa, why are you telling me this?”  


Nyssa’s onyx eyes were somber as they met Dinah’s green ones.  _ “Habibti,  _ the League is run by my father, the current Ra’s. I am the  _ artha lil shaytan,  _ the heir to the demon. And I am telling you this because I wish to invite you to join our ranks.” 

Dinah had paled dramatically, her entire body tensing. “What? H - how? No wait, why? Why in god’s name are you telling me any of this, what do you mean?!” she yelled. “Damn it, Nyssa!” 

Nyssa swallowed and nodded. “Dinah, I understand if you refuse me. I understand if you desire to never see me again. It is simply that with - ” 

“Oh, shut up,” Dinah interrupted, rolling her eyes. “Look, I’m shocked and a little disgusted, I mean  _ that’s  _ how Malcolm learned to do what he did? A fucking league of assassins? Ugh. But, honestly, what I’m really curious about is why you would invite me to join your little club.” 

A hitch in Nyssa’s so far clear breathing surprised Dinah. Then Nyssa reached forward and tilted Dinah’s face up to look deeper into her eyes, her expression almost stern. Dinah held back her urge to flinch away. “You have the spirit of a warrior,  _ habibti.  _ Darling. I have been talking with you for months and what I knew the moment I saw you escape from a potential mugger has only grown clearer. You have more potential than any of the apprentice’s father has brought in since Lady Shiva herself. 

“I want you on my team, Dinah. But even more than that, I want you away from the life that you hate. This is my way of giving you that. As a member of the league, we are not permitted to see our families. Unless, you are like me and a legacy member, but we are rare. Dinah, you will never go home and you will never be expected to. You will be able to cut off all contact with a family I know you you cannot stand to be around.” 

Dinah felt tears sting in her eyes. The last person who had cared about her this much had been Tommy, no one else had ever truly cared how she felt or did anything at all to try and make her feel better in so long. In light of that, she said the only thing she could. 

“I’ll join.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter is the first interlude and the first smut scene! expect dinah and nyssa's first time! it should also be out much faster, as interludes are going to be noticeably shorter than regular chapters - five hundred words at the maximum.

**Author's Note:**

> if you liked it, please review <3


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